Antidepressants’ Psychological Side Effects More Common Than Thought

By Staff

3/19/2014

US Pharm. 2014;39(3):61.

Liverpool, England—More than half of patients taking
antidepressants may experience psychological side effects, according to
University of Liverpool researchers. In a survey of 1,829 people who had
been prescribed antidepressants in the past 5 years, participants chose
from a list of 20 adverse effects to describe how they had felt while
taking the medication. Participants aged 18 to 25 years reported sexual
difficulties (62%), feeling emotionally numb (60%), and suicidal
feelings (>50%); in the broader sample, participants reported not
feeling like themselves (53%), reduction in positive feelings (42%), and
caring less about others (39%). The psychological and interpersonal
effects of antidepressants have been less widely studied than the
physiological side effects.

U.S. Pharmacist is a monthly journal dedicated to providing the nation's pharmacists with up-to-date,
authoritative, peer-reviewed clinical articles relevant to contemporary pharmacy practice in a variety of settings,
including community pharmacy, hospitals, managed care systems, ambulatory care clinics, home care organizations,
long-term care facilities, industry and academia. The publication is also useful to pharmacy technicians, students,
other health professionals and individuals interested in health management. Pharmacists licensed in the U.S. can earn
Continuing Education credits through Postgraduate Healthcare Education, LLC, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.